I'm trying to find 就 used as "at once" in a sentence so that I can add it to my flashcards but the only sentence I've found like that would be "你现在就去做". Issue is, 现在 already means "now" so that makes 就 redundant in the sentence doesn't it? Can anyone give me a proper sentence that uses 就 to mean "at once"?
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就 in 你现在就去做 functions as the adverb "just".
你现在去做 = you go do it now
你现在(就)去做 = you (just) go do it now
Example of 就 = at once; right away:
吃完飯去 = go after finish dinner
吃完飯(就)去 = go (right away) after finish dinner
吃完飯 is the requirement. Once this requirement is met, then 去 occur at once
完成工作付工資 = when you finished work, I will pay your service fee
完成工作(就)付工資 = when you finished work, I will pay your service fee (right away)
完成工作 is the requirement . Once this requirement is met, then 付工資 occur at once
Since 你现在就去做 doesn't include a requirement, 就 doesn't carry the meaning of 'at once; right away'
If it was 你等到明天就去做 (you go do it at once when tomorrow comes); 等到明天(wait till tomorrow arrives) would be the requirement.
Tang Ho
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ok fair enough, could you please give me a simple example sentence where 就 is used to mean "at once" or "right away"? – 小奥利奥 Jun 09 '19 at 06:25
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thank you! So then is "你刷牙就去睡觉" proper usage in this case? – 小奥利奥 Jun 09 '19 at 06:50
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You need to indicate the requirement is completed "你刷牙就去睡觉" could mean: "you go to sleep while brushing teeth" the correct format is "你刷完牙就去睡觉", 你刷了牙就去睡觉", " 你刷好牙就去睡觉" or "你刷牙之後就去睡觉" – Tang Ho Jun 09 '19 at 06:55
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thank you! I've learned much – 小奥利奥 Jun 09 '19 at 06:58
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"你刷牙就去睡觉" could also mean "You go to sleep whenever you brush your teeth" . Similar to "我上课就睡覺" (I sleep whenever I attend school class) – Tang Ho Jun 09 '19 at 07:02
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I had never seen 完 before so I had to look up its usage, I see you listed "你刷完牙就去睡觉" and "你刷了牙就去睡觉" as proper usage, but from what I've just seen while researching 完 wouldn't it be more correct to say "你刷完牙了就去睡觉"? – 小奥利奥 Jun 09 '19 at 07:06
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'完' and '了' in '刷完牙' and '刷了牙' are both verb particle that indicate the verb is completed. you can combine 完 and 了 into '完了' as in "你刷(完了)牙就去睡觉"; but "你刷(完)牙(了)就去睡觉" is an incorrect form – Tang Ho Jun 09 '19 at 07:11
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But on the Chinese Grammar Wiki it says "If there is an object followed by the verb, 完 must be placed between the verb and the object. To indicate completion, 了 usually goes after the object." And gives "老板 开 完 会 了 。" as an example – 小奥利奥 Jun 09 '19 at 07:15
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Another function of. 了 is as a final particle-- to indicate the sentence is completed. the only correct way to use "你刷完牙了" is to end the sentence there. – Tang Ho Jun 09 '19 at 07:27
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E.g. "你刷完牙了？好, 那就去睡吧." (you finished brushing teeth? Good, then you should go to sleep.) – Tang Ho Jun 09 '19 at 07:31
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thank you, that makes perfect sense – 小奥利奥 Jun 09 '19 at 07:32
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老板开完会就去睡觉了 would be one sentence. and 了 is optional, it serves to indicate the sentence is completed, but we still can tell 老板开完会就去睡觉 is a complete sentence without adding the final particle 了 – Tang Ho Jun 09 '19 at 07:35
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就 expresses emergency or handling something quickly in Chinese. It's been used when something need to/must/want to be handled at certain point of time. E.g. 我现在就去; 我明天就上班; 我(现在)就来; etc.
dan
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Language has built-in redundancy. I think that is in order to make sure the message gets across.
You might ask: When exactly is 'now'?
你现在就去做 Go and do it now, immediately!
In this case, I think 就 is emphatic: 你立刻去做。or 你立刻就去做。
就 is a Pandora's box!
At once originally (early 13c.) meant "simultaneously," later "in one company" (c. 1300), and preserved the sense of "one" in the word; the phrase typically appeared as one word, atones; the modern meaning "immediately" is attested from 1530s.
'at once' would normally be translated as 赶快， 马上。
This sentence has 就：
天一下儿就冷了。 All at once the weather turned cold.
but 'at once' comes from ‘一下儿’
